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A review by katykelly
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
5.0
I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed this. The unravelling of several murder cases over several decades, followed by the rapid investigation and winding up of each in turn was expertly done. Cases were subtly connected, the reader has to make connections themselves - it's not all laid out openly.
Jackson Brodie, former military police and police inspector, is a private investigator who finds himself called on to solve several cases of murder and unexplained death. Some from decades past and others much more recent. His relationship with his daughter Marlee is carried on through his work, quite movingly as he sees parallels between her possible future and the victims he's investigating.
Each case has a full history, with mysterious circumstances that must be untangled. None are easy to guess but all explainable by the close of the book.
It's very entertaining, but also, at the end, you also realise how clever the telling has been. Jackson is a wonderful lead - strong and smart, very attractive as a character, with a past of his own that is also gradually revealed.
This was made into a (so far) two season BBC drama, and done very well, having also watched series one. Faithful to the structure and plot of the book.
I think I'm going to look for more in this series next year, which I don't do very often.
Crime/mystery writing at its literate best.
Jackson Brodie, former military police and police inspector, is a private investigator who finds himself called on to solve several cases of murder and unexplained death. Some from decades past and others much more recent. His relationship with his daughter Marlee is carried on through his work, quite movingly as he sees parallels between her possible future and the victims he's investigating.
Each case has a full history, with mysterious circumstances that must be untangled. None are easy to guess but all explainable by the close of the book.
It's very entertaining, but also, at the end, you also realise how clever the telling has been. Jackson is a wonderful lead - strong and smart, very attractive as a character, with a past of his own that is also gradually revealed.
This was made into a (so far) two season BBC drama, and done very well, having also watched series one. Faithful to the structure and plot of the book.
I think I'm going to look for more in this series next year, which I don't do very often.
Crime/mystery writing at its literate best.